PhotosbyRichWalla staple of contemporary art. It wasbased on a vintage four-step John Nagyillustration of “how to draw a cow-boy.” How to draw…at a drawing ral-ly…get it? I would make it dense andlayered, with lots of evidence of the“artist’s hand,” subverting the cartoon-like intended outcome. And I practicedahead of time to try out the combina-tion of wet and dry media, which I hadnever used before.

Planning is all well and good, butthere comes that moment when, likea matador entering the ring, you muststep into the drawing arena and facethe raging white paper. And you betterbe at your table at the designated time.“More than a few people have told methat they love the tight time schedule,”says Massier, “because it makes thedrawing rally the only Buffalo event tostart exactly on time. I don’t wait forartists to show up; if you’re drawing inthe first round, clock starts at 7: 15.”I usually try to get a couple of what-ever special cocktails they’re servingunder my belt by starting time. Helpsme, you know, ignore the bull in thering. Every artist has his own level ofengagement with the audience. Someplug in ear buds and enter their ownprivate Idahos. Others turn it into abit of a performance. Kyle Butler twicebrought his own overstuffed chair torelax in as he drew. Jeff Sherven worea hazmat suit. Another mystery artistdonned a hooded mask. Alicia Paoluc-ci always arrives wearing a different,charmingly eccentric costume.

I may be the only artist who stands
to do my work. I like the arm freedom.
And as the DJ plays music, I get into the
groove. While some people draw with
great care and precision, I prefer some
degree of expressionistic abandon. As a
result, I am usually a mess afterward,
and head directly to the bathroom to
wash up. It’s at this point that I become
aware of the post-rally adrenalin buzz.
That may be why most artists who do
the rally once offer to do it again; if you
are not invited next time, it’s hard to
know whether to feel disappointed or
relieved.

Watching the auction is anotherthing entirely. Thirty minutes seemspainfully long—and not long enough.

This is where you discover wheth-er your efforts have been a success inthe eyes of the bidders. There are afew very collectible participating artistswho do what they are known for andcan count on very competitive bidding.Others swing for the fence and see whathappens.“It’s an opportunity to acquire workat a very reasonable price while sup-porting an extremely important andstoried local institution,” says Tucker.“It’s the perfect event for all collectorsfrom first timers to seasoned.”

Massier considers it to be a model
nonprofit fundraiser, “where the pay-back exceeds the resources and time
used to organize it, and its freshness is
maintained by the specific artists participating.” He advises people who have
never attended not to be misled by the
brief amount of time artists have to
work. “All participating artists come
to ‘represent,’” he says, “and typically
make astounding works.”

Artist and educator Bruce Adams is a longtimesupporter of Hallwalls and a former boardpresident.Drawing rallies takes place twice a year in Babeville’s Asbury Hall. The next event is Wednesday, February 22, at 7 p.m.